The Steelers made official what was widely expected today, declining to place the franchise tag on restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. That means that any team can sign Wallace to an offer sheet, and if the cap-strapped Steelers don’t match the offer, Wallace will cost only one first-round draft pick. Acquiring a 25-year-old…

Steelers President Art Rooney II said they had a conversation with Ward and told him they planned to release him before next season.

Ward was drafted by the Steelers in 1998 and was once one of team’s most pivotal players.

This last season though, he didn’t see much play.

In 14 years, Ward has become the Steelers’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games.

Ward is only the eighth player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions.

Hines Ward released a statement about his departure.
“This isn’t how I wanted this chapter of my career to end. I did everything in my power to remain a Steeler and finish what I started here 14 years ago.

“I want to thank the organization, my teammates and coaches and everyone who made my run as a Steeler the best years of my life. To Mr. Rooney, thank you for allowing me to play for one of the greatest organizations in the world.

“To my fans and in particular, Steeler Nation, thank you for your support and all the great memories. I gave my heart and soul for you every down and I will always bleed black and gold. I do feel that I still have more football left in me and I am looking forward to playing in the NFL, again, this upcoming season.”

The Steelers made the announcement on Wednesday, saying they plan to release Ward “of his contract prior to the start of the 2012 NFL calendar year.”

And news of Ward’s release has created a stir among Steelers Nation.

In a statement, Ward said he did everything in his power to remain a Steeler. Bouchette said Ward told the Steelers he would take a pay cut.

“First of all, last year when they demoted him, he didn’t kick and moan and scream about it, and you know, he told them he’d take a pay cut,” said Bouchette. “They never talked money though and the longer that went on, you obviously saw that their intent was not to accept him at even minimum wage.

“If the coaches don’t believe a player still has it, it’s hard for the front office to force that player on him, even someone with the stature of Hines Ward because you can play that out, what happens if Art Rooney says to Mike Tomlin, ‘we want him here another year, you have to take him.’ Well, that doesn’t mean Mike Tomlin has to play him,” Bouchette added.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview:

Steelers' Insider Ed Bouchette On Hines Ward

Bouchette also touched on where Ward could land next season, even if it’s playing for a rival.

“I think he’d love to play in Baltimore. I don’t think he’s thinking of legacies right now,” he said of Ward. “These guys want to play… once they quit, they’re done.”

Bouchette says he believes Ward will generate interest among some team.

“He turns 36 next week, so teams are going to look at that, but I think there will be some interest for varied reasons,” he said. “Some being that not everybody has a good stock of receivers and they look at this guy as a possession receiver, not a speed guy, obviously. Someone who can get you maybe that 3rd-and-5 on a pass over the middle, and maybe be next to someone who is young and needs to be shown how to act professionally, how to run routes and that kind of thing. The way Hines has done for a lot of young receiver here. But I don’t think he’s a starter anymore, and I don’t know where he’s going to land.”

With Ward not coming back next season, Bouchette talked about how that will impact the Steelers.

“Actually, the perfect spot for Hines Ward was with the Steelers, but the coaching staff didn’t want him, and I’m not sitting here saying they’re wrong either. I just think that Ward could have fit in here next year in a role as three or four,” Bouchette added. “They don’t know if they’re going to get [Jerricho] Cotchery back, first of all, and that would be the first guy I go after right now if I’m the Steelers. Without him, and if no one signs Wallace, you have those three young guys and Emmanuel Sanders’ history of injuries.”

That's right, Frank. We've come too far. This is for Hines, and Smith, and Farrior, and all those who have gone before us.

Dominating victory after dominating victory, none of it matters without a win in the championship, which has begun. We need each and every vote. Spread the word - any and all BTSC readers should take personal stake in a championship that provides no financial benefit to anyone (except maybe Sean), but money doesn't matter when pride is on the line.

That may not be true, but we're going to act like it is, because this is the championship.

As Rudy Ruettiger paraphrased in the immortal classic "Rudy":

"We're gonna go inside 'em we're gonna go outside 'em! Inside and outside! We're gonna get 'em on the run and we're gonna keep 'em on the run. We're gonna go Go GO GO! And we're not gonna stop until we get across that goal line! They say this team...is good. Well, I think we're better than them. They can't lick us! Whaddya say, men?!?"

Hines Ward will go down as the best Steelers WR in team history. End of story. Problem is, the story for Ward isn’t quite done, at least in terms of playing in the NFL.

The WR, who won’t be back with the Steelers in 2012 (announced on Wednesday by the team), had plenty of great moments in his 14-year Steelers career. Today, we give you the “Top 10 Moments of Hines Ward’s Career” here on Steelers Gab.

Feel free to submit your own as well in our comments section, and we will post some as well!

1. All-Time Great Leading WR 11/13/05 – Ward becomes the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth’s record. The Steelers won 34-21 as they continued their run towards Super Bowl XLV.

2. MVP of Super Bowl XL 2/5/06 – Ward takes home the Super Bowl XL MVP as the Steelers beat Seattle 21-10 in Detroit. Ward became the second foreign born player to earn the accolade. Ward scored a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards, one touchdown and one rush for 18 yards.

3. Touchdown Leader 12/2/07 – Ward continues to climb the charts, as on this night he became the Steelers’ all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football.

4. Yardage Leader 12/20/07 - Ward becomes the Steelers’ all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Louis Rams. In a 41-24 win to end the regular season, Ward catches 6 passes for 59 yards.

5. 11,000 Yards 9/12/10 - Against the Falcons in the season opener, Ward became the first player in Steeler history to surpass 11,000 receiving yards. He caught 108 yards worth of passes in that game to pass Hall of Fame Steeler receiver John Stallworth for the most 100-yard receiving games all-time for the Steelers with his 26th. His 6 catches against the Falcons gave him 901 for his career, making him only the 12th NFL player of all time to surpass 900 career receptions.

6. 10,000 Yards 9/28/09 – Always stepping up against the Bengals, Ward grabs four catches for 82 yards, putting him over 10,000 career receiving yards and made him the first wide receiver in Steelers’ history to achieve that milestone. On third-and-two Ben Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 14-yard gain, giving Ward 10,001 career receiving yards.

7. 1000 Grabs 1/1/12 – In his last memorable moment as a Steeler, Ward caught his 1000th reception against the Browns in Cleveland with 13:53 left in the 4th quarter of a win. He is just the eighth player in NFL history to do so, but on a down note, he actually lost 3 yards on the play, and it was his final catch with the Steelers.

8. Knockout 10/19/08 – During a Steelers whooping of the Bengals 38-10 in Cincy, Ward crushes first round pick LB Keith Rivers with a block, one that eventually forced a rule change for offensive players not to be allowed to hit defenseless players. Ward broke Rivers’ jaw, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

9. Touchdown #1 9/12/99 – In the first of what would wind up to be 85 touchdowns as a Steeler, Ward hauls in his first TD, a catch against the Browns, who were playing in their first game back in the NFL. The Steelers would give Cleveland a rude welcome back to the league in the 43-0 domination, and for Ward, the TD was just the beginning of a stellar career in the Steel City.

10. Monster Numbers 10/22/06 - This day at the Georgia Dome defined Ward when it came to numbers, as he totally dominated the Falcons to the tune of eight passes for 171 yards and a career-best three TDs, including a 70-yarder in which he literally ran out of his right shoe. Ward and the Steelers lost that day, but once again the WR proved his greatness for the Black and Gold.

The Steelers have been making news this offseason because of the way they’ve been paring the roster to save themselves some money under the salary cap. They are also working on ways to juice up the amount of money coming into the coffers. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the team has sent season ticket holders…